Chapter 40: God of Storms Raijin’s Judgment
The subway station was gone.
Not physically — the walls still stood, the rusted train cars still lay half-buried in rubble, and the shattered neon lights still flickered weakly — but the air?
The air was unrecognizable.
Electricity roared through the space like a living creature, bolts of blue lightning coiling in slow, predatory spirals around Elliot's body. The Raijin Protocol wasn't a glitch anymore — it was a force of nature.
The temperature in the station had shifted — the air thick with static, every breath tasting of ozone and raw power. Bits of metal debris hovered an inch off the ground, spinning lazily in the electromagnetic field radiating from Elliot's storm.
And Elliot?
He wasn't thinking.
He was feeling — the storm feeding off his pulse, his anger, his fear. Every beat of his heart sent another snap of lightning cracking off his skin, making the walls tremble.
He didn't just contain the Raijin Protocol.
He was the storm now.
And the factions knew it.
The Chrome Reapers were still reeling — half their plasma weapons fried from the last blast of Raijin's Tempest. Sparks sputtered from their implants, their cybernetic limbs glitching, and even Rend — their massive, gunmetal leader — looked… hesitant.
The Spire Syndicate wasn't faring any better — their green-lit plasma rifles now useless, their synchronized combat grid scrambled by Elliot's raw electromagnetic pulse.
But the Ashen Blades…
They didn't flinch.
The cyber-assassins — matte-black armor reflecting the neon light, plasma katanas humming softly — fanned out in a loose circle around Elliot, their glowing red visors locked onto him.
Silent. Calculating.
Predators hunting a storm.
Nova stood at Elliot's side, her energy blade still humming, her bioluminescent suit flickering every time Elliot's Boost flared. The broken feedback loop — the one Kain had supposedly severed — still twitched between them, the neon lines along Nova's ribs, waist, and thighs pulsing with every jolt of static Elliot couldn't control.
Her jaw was tight. "Rookie," she said softly, "you need to calm the storm."
But Elliot wasn't sure if the storm could be calmed anymore.
The System buzzed in his head — glitching like hell — its voice flickering between battle AI and absolute meme chaos.
---
[New Mission: Raijin Unleashed]
Objective: Hold off the factions until you master Raijin's Judgment.
Bonus: Don't fry Nova.
Failure: Neural collapse, citywide blackout… or becoming the storm permanently.
---
Kain grinned from the sidelines, his chrome fingers twitching like he was watching the greatest show on Earth. "Ohhh, kid — you're past control now. You're chaos incarnate."
The System chimed again.
---
[Pro Tip: Why contain the storm… when you can be the storm?]
— Zeus… probably.
---
Elliot growled, his Boost flaring brighter — tendrils of lightning snapping outward, making the metal tracks under his feet hum.
One of the Ashen Blades lunged — his plasma katana slicing through the air — but Elliot moved before he thought.
He didn't dodge.
He reacted.
The Raijin Protocol pulsed — a bolt of blue lightning coiling into his hand — and in an instant, the storm forged itself into a weapon.
A new one.
A Raijin's Fang.
The spear of raw lightning — shorter than the Lance but twice as fast — exploded from Elliot's grip and slammed into the Ashen Blade's chest.
The merc didn't just fall.
He detonated.
The lightning bolt fried every circuit in his suit, sent his plasma katana spinning, and hurled him backward into a wall — leaving a crater of scorched concrete behind him.
Nova blinked. "You just one-shot an Ashen Blade."
The System buzzed.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Fang]
Effect: Forge a smaller, faster lightning blade — deadly for close combat.
Cooldown: 3 seconds.
---
Kain whistled. "Ohhh, you're evolving."
The Chrome Reapers finally broke from their hesitation.
"Take him down!" Rend roared — his plasma blade flaring to life as his cybernetic arm rebooted.
Three Reapers fired their plasma rifles — but Elliot didn't dodge this time.
He absorbed it.
The plasma bolts didn't hit him — they slammed into his electromagnetic field, the Raijin Protocol devouring the energy, twisting the bolts into pulses of blue lightning now crackling at Elliot's fingertips.
Nova blinked. "Did you just… eat plasma shots?"
Elliot gritted his teeth. "I guess?"
The System chimed again.
---
[Pro Tip: If life gives you plasma… make lightning.]
— Marie Curie… kinda.
---
"SYSTEM, SHUT UP!" Elliot roared.
Nova smirked. "Focus, rookie."
The Spire Syndicate advanced — still weaponless, but their glowing green implants reconfiguring into blades of raw energy sprouting from their wrists.
"Your storm won't save you," one of the Spire mercs sneered. "We'll cut you down before you—"
Elliot didn't wait.
The storm reacted.
He slammed his hand into the ground — the Raijin Protocol surging to his palm — and unleashed a pulse of pure lightning into the subway floor.
The electricity crawled through the metal tracks — hunting the Spire mercs — and the moment the static tendrils touched them—
Their implants overloaded.
Sparks burst from their bodies, their energy blades short-circuiting mid-swing, and in the next second—
They collapsed.
Nova's blade flared. "You're not just a storm anymore."
Elliot panted — the storm still roaring around him — the blue lightning flickering brighter and faster, like it was waiting for something.
He clenched his fist. "I'm the damn lightning strike."
The System buzzed again.
---
[New Ability Unlocked: Raijin's Judgment]
Effect: Summon a violent lightning strike from above — targeting multiple enemies.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Warning: May cause catastrophic damage to the surrounding area.
---
Kain's grin widened. "He's gonna blow up the whole station."
Nova tightened her grip on her blade. "Then we better end this fast."
The Ashen Blades regrouped — plasma katanas reigniting, their red visors locking onto Elliot's still-crackling body.
The Chrome Reapers rebooted their implants — plasma rifles glowing again — ready for a second round.
And the Spire Syndicate — though battered — were still standing.
The storm wasn't over.
It was just getting started.
Elliot's Boost hit 270%.
The Raijin Protocol howled.
And when the next attack came—
It wouldn't be lightning.
It would be judgment.